The ANT Telecom Blog

Why is lone worker training so important

It's always a good idea to review company policies and procedures from time to time and one of the most important responsibilities an employer can bear is ensuring the proper protection of lone workers. This article explains why lone workers are particularly vulnerable and the benefits of using lone worker alarm devices.

The risks faced by lone workers

Lone workers face unique risks that are greater than people who work together. These may include the sudden onset of illnesses where there are no witnesses to help; accidents and injuries caused by the nature of the work and the inadequate provision of first aid; problems arising from welfare and hygiene, such as exhaustion caused by not taking rest breaks, and so on. Other lone workers may face risks when interacting with members of the public, where they may occasionally be subject to physical and verbal abuse. The consequences of failing to protect lone workers

As an employer, it is vitally important that the lone workers among your staff are adequately supported with training and equipped with the tools they need for their personal protection. Ultimately, failing to protect lone workers can result in accidents, injuries and even death. As well as being a moral duty, it is also a legal requirement, and not complying with the relevant legislation could result in crippling fines and possibly a prison sentence. Breaches of health and safety seriously impact on a company's reputation among its customer base. Luckily, it's relatively simple to take the necessary steps.

These are:

Conducting regular risk assessments on behalf of your lone workers; Implementing, following and regularly reviewing a lone worker Health and Safety policy; Using this policy to ensure robust procedures are in place so that the location of lone workers is known at all times or can be established should an incident occur; Providing your staff with appropriate and relevant training that is regularly refreshed; Equipping staff with safety devices so that they can call for assistance if necessary.

What is a lone worker alarm solution and how does it work?

It is worth investing in a solution, such as that offered by ANT, rather than a simple alarming device. This means a response team is alerted, someone acknowledges, attends the scene, contacts emergency services (and/or administers first aid) and closes down the alarm – all this is ideally done in a few minutes rather than hours. It's an emergency response process that is unrivalled. Moreover, using this type of response system means that all events are logged in a system that can be reviewed, for continual improvement purposes.. The technology that provided by ANT facilitates this process and it is robust, reliable, fast and automatic. Furthermore, ANT's solution is far more cost effective doing it this way than doing it manually where colleagues will make check calls to their lone workers periodically throughout the day, which is the opposite of all of those things and fundamentally unproductive.

The benefits of using an ANT lone worker alarm solution

There are numerous benefits of using a high-quality lone worker alarm solution:

Peace of mind - you will be able to enjoy peace of mind in the knowledge that you are putting the health and safety of your employees first and follow the law; Speed - the quicker the response, the better the outcome. Other services rely on call centre staff to raise the alarm. ANT's solution uses technology to cut out this stage, saving a valuable few minutes that can mean the difference between life and death; Efficiency - as well as speed, it's essential to use a system that is highly reliable and efficient. Once put in place, you should see a boost in employee morale and a reduction in serious accidents; Productivity - this type of system can also be used to create more streamlined processes in your workplace. A task formerly requiring two people, for example, may be able to be safely performed by one worker with a lone worker safety device, leading to a boost in productivity.

Human safety, is, of course, the most important aspect of health and safety and should always come first. However, the technology used to protect employees can also be used to monitor other assets you may have on site or in remote locations. These might include fire alarm systems, production equipment and machinery. A system-based network offers the means to oversee all your assets at once and alert key personnel the moment there is an issue, saving your business time and valuable resource. .

It's clear that a robust lone worker solution is an essential part of a responsible and modern workplace. Contact ANT for more information about how to put in place a communication solution that allows your employees to feel safe and protects all your assets.